The minister invited the airlines because of their inability to respond to some issues raised by the Ministry of Aviation during an investigative hearing yesterday.

The committee arrived at the decision when contradictions in the submission of the ministry and correspondences between the airlines and the ministry became obvious.

A member of the committee, Aliyu Madaki, who presented documentary evidence to support his position, said it was regrettable that there was a deliberate policy to discriminate against the airlines to the detriment of economic activities in Kano.

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Aviation, Ms Anne Ene-Ita, who represented the minister, denied claims by one of the airlines that its request to ply Abuja, Kano and Lagos was denied by the ministry.

“We had a Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) agreement with the airline and all it needed was to activate it. We do not have to deny it because we had an agreement.

“As for the second airline, it was a bilateral agreement. We have met in Abuja but we need to go there in return and we have scheduled that for next month,” she said.

The committee, however, adjourned the meeting when the permanent secretary claimed that the airline in question did not apply for Lagos and Kano routes. There was no representative of the airline to respond.

The Chairman of the committee, Nkiru Onyejeocha, said it has become inevitable for the parties involved to be present at the next meeting to respond to the issues raised.